Love Story
by HarryLurvsMarsBars
Summary: A collaboration of EC one-shots. Just say yes and read! Please, pretty please, read the very first A/N in chapter one...please!
1. Don't

**A/N: **So this is a collection of one-shots that revolve around EC. The beginning of every chapter will have an excerpt from a song that relates to that particular chapter. The chapters as a whole, however, are not related, and don't necessarily follow with the episodes story-wise or chronologically. Please read!

_Don't you hate hearing that clock on the wall chiming  
Singing its time and,  
Don't you just wish we could stay right here together all day long.  
You know it wouldn't be a crime if we crawled back into bed  
Got as close as we could get  
Tried to figure out where this thing is going.  
Baby, baby don't, don't just say you're leaving why don't you stay a little bit longer  
Got it goin' on, and I just can't believe it  
This feeling it just keeps getting stronger._

_-Don't, Billy Currington_

Eric Delko woke feeling lighter than air that Monday morning. A strange sensation, considering the extra weight upon his chest, rising and falling with each breath he took. Through the groggy haze of sleepiness and the semi-light of dawn he took in the sight and used what little brainpower he currently possessed to put together the events of last night that could have possibly led to the present situation. Calleigh Duquesne was sleeping in his bed, her head upon his chest the reason for both of the atypical feelings he was experience. Smiling, he softly cupped the back of her head and let the butter yellow strands of hair tangle through his fingers, and he reveled in the soft sigh his touch produced.

Last night had been one of the best of his life. They had been planning this night off for a week, agreeing that they no longer spent enough time together and vowed to let nothing short of death come between their night together. Originally, it was supposed to be a restaurant "date" and a movie, maybe some ice cream on the boardwalk afterwards, but after a stressful day neither felt a night on the town was appropriate. So they remained at Eric's house, opting instead to order their favorite pizza – stuffed crust, extra cheese, ham, bell peppers, anchovies, olives, mushrooms, and pepperoni – which was usually reserved for the two of them only, considering the rather unique combination of toppings that appealed to no one else, plus the fact it was _their_ pizza. Eric dug through the back of the cabinet of his entertainment center for Calleigh's very favorite movie, _How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days_, which didn't see the light of day unless she was there. So together they had their night off, dining happily on hot pizza and Shiner Bocks whilst watching, Eric had to admit, a funny movie. When the movie was over, the pizza gone and both of them no longer drinking to avoid the obvious, conversation began. It was mostly little things, like his soccer star niece's game-winning goal, and the latest gun added to her personal collection. But as they enjoyed each other's company, the depth of conversation mattered little. They were happy to be together.

Suddenly the clock above the mantle had chimed twelve and Calleigh had given a little start when she realized the time. Eric grinned fondly at the memories of the resulting event.

"_Oh, Eric, I'm sorry. I didn't realize how late it's gotten!" she apologized, picking up her plate and heading towards the kitchen._

_Eric chuckled. "Well, Cinderella, it's not entirely you're fault. We were both talking."_

_After catching her reproving look, no doubt for the nickname, he followed her into the kitchen and watched her rinse the sauce and cheese that had fallen on her plate before placing it in the dishwasher. He thought for the countless time that night how beautiful she looked, all casual and comfortable in her not-too-tight jeans and rather small New Orleans Saints t-shirt, long blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. She turned around after shutting the dishwasher to find him leaning against the granite-top island and staring shamelessly at her._

"_What?" she questioned playfully, leaning against the matching granite counter._

"_You look amazing."_

_The words were out of his mouth before he could rationally hold them back. This was Calleigh he was talking to, his best friend and co-worker. He decided it was worth it, however, when that tantalizing blush crept up her cheeks and she responded._

"_You're not too bad yourself."_

_Eric looked down at the large sauce stain on his yellow button-down, which he had been too wary to change out of while with Calleigh. "I do look rather dapper, don't I?"_

_Calleigh let out an honest to God giggle and Eric felt his chest swell with pride at having elicited that rare sound from her. "Red and yellow work for you," she said._

_They both laughed and during that time Eric gathered up his courage, walking that short distance between them to stand in front of her and place his hands upon her hips lightly. He swore he could feel the mood change from playful and light to thick with…tension of some sort. He hoped to God he wasn't making the wrong move when he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss upon her cheek and nuzzling the spot with his nose before whispering gently,_

"_Stay here tonight."_

_Calleigh let out a quivering breath and it was all Eric could do not to kiss her fully when she placed her tiny hands on his elbows, bringing them that much closer. His lips trailed feather light to her ear where he added a quiet, "Please?"_

_He felt Calleigh nod against him, and he grinned at his victory. Throwing what little caution he had left to the wind, he pulled back and lightly planted his lips onto hers. _

_She was just as soft and sweet as he had ever imagined yet simultaneously so much better with the added elements of her scent, honeysuckle, and her sounds, like the light moan of approval she gave when his tongue slipped into her mouth to join her own. Much sooner than he had liked, however, he pulled away in the hopes of not letting things get too carried away. The adorable soft sound of disapproval she gave made him give in and he reconnected their lips briefly before keeping only their foreheads touching, and it only made him realize how far gone he already was. _

"_Come with me," he said gently, tugging her by the hand to follow him up the stairs._

There had been absolutely no sex nor were they anywhere near it, and for once in his life Eric was glad for it. The innocent kisses and cuddles were more than enough to satisfy him with Calleigh, and he knew she felt the same way. Now here they were, each of them having shed their jeans and Eric his stained shirt, leaving them each in a shirt and underwear. He watched Calleigh sleep peacefully, her beautiful face free of stress and completely relaxed. Eric reached his other hand up to her forehead and ran the tips of his fingers across her hairline, brushing a stray blonde strand or two away from her closed eyes. Pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, he wanted nothing more than to stay here forever.

The alarm clock on the nightstand declared everything but, however. The angry red numbers stated to him that he had only nine precious minutes to spend with sleeping Calleigh before its annoying blare would resound through the quiet room.

But to both his dismay and pleasure, Calleigh was saved that rude awakening as she began to stir, unconsciously burying her nose in Eric's chest. As her eyes blinked open, however, his own were met with a shade of green he hadn't seen before in those hypnotizing orbs. She looked up at him and smiled, laying her head back down on his chest to Eric's immense delight. Snuggling her closer to him, Eric couldn't stop the corners of his lips as they turned upward in an infatuated grin he could not suppress.

"You've been watching me sleep, haven't you?" she asked. It wasn't an accusation, but merely a curious suspicion.

"How'd you guess?"

Calleigh let out a sleepy chuckle. "I've known you for a while Eric. And I've caught you staring at me enough in broad daylight to know you wouldn't hesitate to watch me sleep."

Eric sighed, feigning remorse. "Guilty as charged."

Calleigh treated him to that same giggle. "That's not necessarily a bad thing."

"Well good, because if I have it my way, this will happen again." He paused, not wanting to scare her away by being too forward. "Do you want this to happen again?"

"Of course."

"Because if you want to take things slower, I under-"

He was cut off by her lips upon his in a slow press and slide that left him sighing contentedly into her mouth. It wasn't until she pulled away that he noticed she was straddling him.

"Eric, I'm in your bed in nothing but a pair of my favorite underwear and a too-small t-shirt. How many men do you think have been in your situation after one night?"

Eric grinned, running his hands along her smooth thighs and up to cup either side of her waist. "Hopefully only the one under you right now."

"You catch on fast," she whispered seductively, leaning down slowly to capture his hands in both of hers, lifting them up and above his head as she touched her lips to his once again in a more playful kiss. She ran her tongue teasingly along his bottom lip before sucking it gently between her own and worrying it gently with her teeth, releasing it and soothing it with another swipe of her tongue and gentle press of lips.

The sudden, resounding beeping of the alarm clock scared Calleigh out of her skin, jumping so high Eric had to laugh. With the moment now officially ruined, Eric sat up to lean against the headboard and pillows and raised his legs to create a makeshift seat for Calleigh to recline on. He felt her warm hands cup the sides of his neck and she interlocked her fingers at his nape, sighing heavily.

"I don't want to go to work."

"Then don't." He knew it was irrational and figured she would never go for it, but he had to try.

"I can't miss work, Eric. We both have multiple cases to work on."

"It's my day off."

Calleigh gave a sort of harrumph. "Then my multiple cases just became several cases." She glanced at the clock. "And all the more reason for me to leave."

She made no move to get off his lap, however.

Eric ducked his head and buried his face into her neck, breathing in her flowery scent mixed with that of sleep. "With your attendance record I think you can afford one tardy."

Calleigh smiled gently. "Eric, I think we both know if I stay I won't leave for a long time."

He grinned into her neck as he pressed little kisses to the skin there. "Please, Cal?"

Calleigh placed her hands on his head and pushed him away rather reluctantly and unsuccessfully. "Oh no, mister, that won't work again. Besides, I can't put all of that work on the others."

"Please don't mention them right now."

"Sorry," she laughed.

Sighing, Eric pulled back. "Come on, Cal. It's not just the four of us anymore, remember? There are two more CSIs now. And they all agree that you seriously need a day off." He smirked and kissed her lips. "And what better way to release all that stress than spending a day with me?"

Calleigh tilted her head thoughtfully. "I don't know. I could always go shooting, or running, or even indulge in the rare shopping day…"

"Hmph. Well, we could always do those things together."

Calleigh grinned. "Are you going to pay for my new shoes?"

"Of course."

"Then I'll seriously consider that option," she said, giggling. Now that he had elicited that sound from her, it seemed she couldn't hold it back.

"So, is that a yes?" he asked hopefully.

She sighed, but he could tell she was feigning annoyance. "I guess, but only because you're so pushy."

He chuckled. "Would you like to call Horatio, or should I?"

She glared at him, but the light in her eyes told him it was merely playful. "I will. It would sort of blow our cover otherwise, don't you think?"

Agreeing with a grin, Eric scooted down and rolled them over so he was on top of her, his own whiskey colored eyes meeting that new shade of emerald he was quickly losing himself in. "I'm glad you didn't go," he murmured gently.

"Me too."

**A/N: **Well, like it or not I'd like to hear a response. This is one of my favorite songs and it reminded me of this couple so much I just had to write something for it. Please review!


	2. First Love

**A/N: **Thanks to those of you who reviewed last time; they mean a lot! P.S. I don't own any lyrics or the song!

_You're there for me, through all of my ups and downs,  
And what I feel you always seem to know.  
You find the words when I need comforting and dry my eyes,  
That's why I love you so.  
More than a friend, you're my first love;  
I can always depend on my first love.  
I feel like I have known you all my life, I can't explain how close we are;  
When something's wrong, you know how to make it right.  
That's why you stay close to my heart.  
More than a friend, you're my first love;  
I can always depend on my first love._

_-First Love, Karina_

"Eric, you do realize that I haven't done that since college?" Calleigh remarked. She was snuggled between his warm legs with her favorite large, cream-colored throw draped cozily around the both of them. Right after she said this a large clap of thunder resounded through the neighborhood, and Calleigh sighed. While rain storms usually calmed her, they were dually resented. Strange and uncorrelated though it sounds, the strangest crimes often occurred after a doozie of a thunderstorm such as this one. She guessed people thought they could blame the weather for an "accidental" crime, but Calleigh knew better. She was brought back to the present when the arms surrounding her tightened and pulled her body closer to his and a pair of warm lips brushed the outer edge of her ear.

"Come on, baby, what else are we going to do?" he cooed into the sensitized skin, feeling her shudder slightly. "The power's been out for a while now, and I don't know about you, but I don't exactly feel like moving right now."

Calleigh marveled at the way he so easily convinced her. A touch of his lips here and a few sweet words there and she was his, all his. She had to agree, though, about not wanting to move. The many candles they had lit so as not to be submerged in near-total darkness, the feel of his broad chest against her small back, the sound of the rain hitting the earth and house, his breath tickling her neck now; it all combined to create one romantic evening. Glancing out the window, she noticed even through the darkness of the rapidly approaching night that the sky wasn't getting any clearer.

"It's just you and me. Nobody else," he said softly, pressing a gentle kiss to the creamy skin of her neck.

Never one to share her past, Calleigh hadn't had a good, old-fashioned game of 'firsts' since a rather drunken sleepover in her and her roommates' shared apartment junior year of college. To this day she still doesn't remember how it all played out, just that it hadn't happened since.

But this was _Eric_.

"Fine, alright," she gave in with a smile.

Eric chuckled lightly. "Good. Um, ok, let's start with the basics: first kiss?"

"Mm, Henry Wiseman, when I was ten years old. We were partners in marbles one day during recess, and we had both bet our ice cream money that we would win. So towards the end we were losing, but I had a hitting streak and I won the game for us. He was so happy he grabbed me by the shoulders and kissed me for about five seconds before he realized what he had done." Calleigh finished her recollection with a grin, remembering her brother's fury when she bought two ice creams after school. She turned her head to gaze up at him. "You're turn."

Appropriately, Eric dropped a quick kiss to her lips before Calleigh turned back around to face forward. "Well, I won't count Ariella Chavez, because that was a meet-me-behind-the-tree first kiss when I was four."

"Always the ladies man," Calleigh giggled.

"You know it. Anyways, I guess my real first kiss was Samantha Domingo in the sixth grade. When we had our first world geography course, everyone started calling her Santa Domingo and, well, I felt bad for her. So in gym the next day I took her behind the bleachers and kissed her. We went on until Coach Sanger caught us and made us run twenty laps around the gym as punishment for 'behaving like ill-mannered children,' as I recall."

Calleigh laughed. "Did it cure you?"

"Nope, we were late to fourth period. We were quite the couple, you know. She was very pretty, too…" Eric trailed off.

Calleigh squeezed his knee, his only tickle spot. "Alright, mister, back to business."

Taking his restraining hand off the top of hers and threading their fingers, Eric thought. He finally settled on, "First job?"

Calleigh took a moment to assess this. "I guess working for my then-boyfriend's dad's outdoors store when I was sixteen. It was incredibly boring, but it was money, and it was something to do over the summer. I would have worked at my dad's firm, but he wouldn't offer me pay."

He took her silence as his key to share his story. "I mowed my elderly neighbor's yard for thirty bucks each time." He paused and chuckled. "I don't think old Mrs. Contreras was ever in her right mind, because her yards weren't that big, but it was great. Girls would drive by and see me sweaty, shirtless, and assisting a little old lady. She always sat on the porch and read her book; she said she liked the smell of the freshly mown grass, but I think she had secret ulterior motives."

"Not everyone is affected by your witty charms, Delko," Calleigh pointed out good-naturedly.

"Mmhm," he mumbled, nuzzling his nose into the tousled vanilla blond locks. Calleigh sighed contentedly and rested the side of her head against his warm chest. "Fortunately for me, that doesn't include you."

She took in a deep breath through her nose, inhaling his unique scent of cloves, man, and something precisely Eric that she could only describe as masculine yet sweet. She would never be afraid as long as she had that scent around her, never lonely, but always comforted. Reveling in the tiny kisses he was planting on the nape of her neck, she broke the comfortable silence. "I know you want to ask it."

"What?" His voice had gone lower, softer, and it only made Calleigh's spine tingle even more than it already was.

"First time." It was all she could put together in her lazy state.

"Only if you want to."

Calleigh gave a tiny shrug. "It wasn't romantic or special or anything. It just happened one night when I snuck out with my boyfriend Kenny to go horseback riding, and when we put the horses away in the stables we went to the barn and…I don't know, it just happened."

"Your first time was in a barn?" Eric asked incredulously.

"It was more like a big storage room-slash-playroom. His family was wealthy, to say the least, wealthier than us, anyway, and we weren't poor. There was a mini basketball court and on the upper level there was a bed and everything. All in all it was nice, I guess and definitely not as bad as it could have been. I was never one to plan those sorts of things, so it was as good as I could have hoped for."

Eric nodded. "Same here, I guess. Her name was Alyssa Gonzalez, and she was hot and twenty and I was almost eighteen. It was on the beach, and it was terrible. Not because of us, but sex on the beach just really wasn't meant to be."

Calleigh chuckled. "Believe me, I've been there."

There was a comfortable silence full of gentle kisses and nuzzles. "Did you love him? Kenny, or whatever?"

"No," Calleigh answered quietly. "I liked him, really liked him, but no, not loved."

"Who was…you're first _love_, then?" He was almost hesitant to ask, for he was almost certain the answer was Jake. Her silence confirmed his suspicion, but her actual answer surprised him so much it took his breath away.

"You."

Eric was absolutely dumbfounded. "Me?"

"Yes, you, silly," Calleigh giggled, looking up at him to meet his chocolate eyes with her emerald ones. Without breaking that precious eye contact, she stretched her neck to brush her nose with his in a sweet Eskimo kiss.

"But Jake – "

Calleigh silenced him with a kiss so sound he got the message without words, but he listened to them anyways. "I thought Jake was love. Now I realize, though, that Jake was just lust. _You're_ my love. _You're _the one who's always been there for me, who knows exactly what it takes to make me happy, who understands me, and I don't know how to tell you how much I appreciate you. I love you, Eric."

To her immense surprise she saw the faintest hint of water rimming the lower part of his eyes. "You are the first woman besides my mother to make me cry. Ever."

Calleigh smiled genuinely and kissed him softly before snuggling her nose into its favorite part of his chest. "Do you love me, Eric?" Of course she already knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it now.

"I love you so much, Cal. You can't even imagine how much," Eric said lowly, huskily. He hugged her tightly to him. "And you don't know how long I've waited to say that."

A wave of guilt washed over her immediately, for making him suppress his feelings because she hadn't been ready to hear them, to comprehend them. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," he assured, rubbing slow trails up and down her back. "I was willing to wait for you, Calleigh. Don't ever blame yourself for my decisions." He pressed a kiss to her soft hair. "God, I love you."

Without warning, Calleigh turned to face him, straddling his hips with her thighs and reaching for the hem of his undershirt to tug it over his head. Dotting kisses along his neck, she whispered, "Show me how much, Eric. All night, right here."

Eric grinned, the mood changing suddenly from heavy and steamy to light and teasing. "Don't you think that might be a little difficult in the recliner?"

"We'll manage," Calleigh assured, swiping wet kisses across his chest.

"We are pretty good at that, aren't we?" Calleigh lifted her head and pressed her lips to his, alternating between press and slides before tugging his bottom lip gently between her teeth, releasing it gently with a smile.

"We sure are."


	3. Woman

**A/N: **Oh. My. God. I am royally pissed. Just FYI _**you are about to read**_ _**a**_ _**major spoiler**_ (or at least major in my humble opinion) so if you don't want to know it skip this whole section! This may or may not be old news to some of you, but Emily Procter is pregnant and – here's the kicker – they aren't writing it into the story! I don't know if any other EC fans out there were hoping for a little Delko baby in season 9 (because I sure as hell was) but it's not going to happen. I don't think we'll be in for any of those intimate scenes that we were treated to season 8 but that's how it is, unfortunately. I will probably still watch the show… okay I definitely will, just in case.

This is very spur of the moment and I wrote it right after reading the spoiler to make myself feel better and fulfill my ridiculous romantic desires for those two. This chapter takes place early season 9, how I want it to be.

It's just TV, Mariah, it's just TV…

_I appreciate your smile; thank you  
I know how much it takes to carry and birth a child; thank you…  
How you never bite your lip to say what's on your mind; thank you  
How you a lady in the streets and a freak when it's bedroom time…  
I appreciate your glow; thank you  
And when you get angry with us the way that you let us know  
And I think it's so cute when you get so emotional; thank you  
You know 'til you prove your point, you just can't let it go  
But I like that though.  
I appreciate so much; thank you girl  
Like the I-love-you feeling, girl, when we touch…  
Ain't nothing like making love  
Woman, woman, woman  
Strong, woman, woman, woman  
Grown, woman, woman, woman  
Special, woman, woman, woman  
Beautiful, woman, woman, woman  
_  
_-Woman, Raheem Devaughn_

Eric Delko watched from his lounging position on the bed his girlfriend of over a year and a half get dressed for their evening out with the team. It had become a rather regular thing since the 'incident' as they all referred to it a month or so ago. As per usual he was ready much earlier than she was. The delicious yet casual Mexican restaurant-slash-bar they were going to was always fun, with a live modern day, mariachi-ish band that struck up excitement and playfulness in everyone. He was glad it was not a place to dress up for, because the Miami humidity was typically unforgiving and the breathable cotton jeans, stylish yellow tee, and his favorite plain white, worn-in Stan Smiths were all he wanted to don that night.

Thinking of this, he watched with curiosity as Calleigh stood in front of the floor-length mirror, and sighed, frustrated, at her extraordinary appearance. The flowy white skirt came about three inches above her knees so that it was not too short and not too long, and the fuchsia ribbed tank to she wore clung to her feminine curves deliciously. It was one of his favorite tops on her; the material hugged her perfectly and the straps were just narrow enough to give her shoulders and arms the appearance of being stronger than they're tiny form implied. Eric smirked for a second at the thought that he really knew how strong those arms really were, not only because they often worked out together, but because they were more often than not wrapped tightly around his neck, or his own broad shoulders, or his waist… the list goes on.

His happy thoughts and admirations, however, were diminished when she gracefully pulled the top over her head and threw it in a heap inside the walk-in closet. She stepped inside it, clad only in her white cotton skirt and thin, pale pink, lacy bra – another one of Eric's favorites. He sat up straighter against the pillows and watched her rifle through her many clothes hanging up before turning to the drawers against the back wall of the closet.

Against his better judgment, he asked hesitantly, "Cal, what was wrong with the other shirt?"

She emerged from the large closet, pulling a pale yellow crew neck tee over her head that went surprisingly well with her complexion. "It didn't look right," she mumbled, adjusting the shirt over her abdomen, looking very much defeated.

Eric decided that the shirt (though he heartily disagreed) wasn't the only thing that didn't look right on Calleigh. That expression on her face was very contradictory to her all-smiles-and-sunshine attitude. He decided to tell her this right now wouldn't be very productive, so he settled for talking about it later.

"Well, if it makes a difference, I think this looks very nice."

His heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat when she turned around with a genuine, appreciative smile on her face. She looked absolutely gorgeous with that shirt, her butter yellow hair pulled back in a loose half-up do that curled around the middle of her back. She grabbed some pale gold sandals from the shoe rack and slipped them on before striding over to him.

"Have I told you how much I love you today?" she asked, sitting on the side of the bed, making room for herself and kissing him on the nose. Eric chuckled happily. He would never tire of hearing her say that, for as long as they were together. Which he hoped was going to be for a long time.

"Once or twice," he said. Eric returned her kiss on the corner of her jaw, right below her ear, and he heard her sigh and close her eyes. "I love you, baby."

The hitch in her breath did not go unnoticed, but he brushed it off as the same feeling he had whenever she said those words to him. Eric ducked his head to brush his lips with hers softly; caressing them in a way that he hoped conveyed everything he had already said. Calleigh pulled away a moment later, leaning her head against his shoulder and snuggling into his side.

"I wish we could just stay here for the rest of the night," she murmured, bringing one arm to rest lazily across his rock-hard abdomen.

He nuzzled his nose into her gardenia-scented hair. "I know," he agreed. "But I think we'd be missed. Alexx is going to be there, you know, and we haven't seen her in quite a while."

There were a couple moments of comfortable silence until Eric glanced at the clock. "We'd better go soon or we'll get stuck in traffic," he reminded reluctantly. When there was no response of any kind, he looked down to find her asleep. Not just restlessly dozing, but actually _asleep_. "Calleigh, baby, get up."

He absolutely hated to wake her. She was having trouble sleeping lately, tossing and turning in his arms all night and frequently getting out of bed, but precisely where Eric was too tired to register. It was rather tiring for the both of them, but he didn't dare complain. He assumed it was a combination of a lot of pills and a lot of stress, and this nap would no doubt be good for her. But still, their schedules rarely allowed them to interact with their colleagues outside of work, and they hadn't seen Alexx in over a month. As much as sleep would help her, a nice drink and a couple of hours of relaxation would do wonders for her overstressed body.

Calleigh mumbled sleepily and yawned widely. "Oh, Eric, I'm so sorry. I've just been so tired the past couple of days."

"Don't apologize," he assured, hugging her waist and pressing a kiss to her temple. "Some fresh air will do you good. Let's go."

Half an hour later found them at their regular patio table with Horatio at the end, Ryan, Natalia, Walter, Travers, Valera, and Alexx, whom Calleigh had wasted no time in hugging graciously. Eric smiled at the encounter. During Alexx's extensive time at MDPD, she had been like a second mother to himself, Calleigh, and Tim. But it had always seemed more so for Calleigh. She grew rather overprotective of the petite blond after learning some of the finer details of her past, and it gave Eric great comfort that if ever there was a time that he wasn't there for Calleigh, Alexx was. And for that he would be forever grateful.

He kissed the African-American woman on the cheek and gave her a big hug before taking his seat next to Calleigh. Not a moment later the waiter came to take their drink orders, and he made the rounds before reaching Calleigh.

"And the usual for you, ma'am; raspberry martini?" he asked politely.

Calleigh smiled. "Actually, I think I'll just have an iced tea tonight."

Alexx raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh, honey, with your workload you need something way stronger than that!" she exclaimed.

Calleigh's eyes connected with Alexx's and they shared a look that Eric couldn't read. He ordered himself whatever they had on draft, too preoccupied with the short, hushed sentences his girlfriend and Alexx were sharing. He still couldn't read Alexx's expression, the only one of the two he could see, but as soon as she glanced at him, Ryan pulled him into conversation across the table from himself.

All in all it had been an enjoyable night, filled with laughter and enjoying each other's company without the drama of work. It had even driven away Calleigh's sulky mood, for now at least. When everyone's bills were paid and yawns became frequent, they went their separate ways to the parking lot.

The ride home was uneventful and, despite the fact that she was stroking her fingers against his, it was done rather absentmindedly as she stared contemplatively out the windshield. If he didn't have to drive, Eric would have watched her intently so as to make sure she didn't fall over, she looked that out of it.

She seemed to be on auto pilot as they went through their bedtime routine, and it wasn't until they were tucked in bed together that Eric finally decided to speak up.

"Cal, are you okay?" he asked concernedly. "You haven't been acting like…yourself."

From its resting place on his chest, Calleigh raised her head to look at his face, half of it in shadow and half of it lit up by the lamp on the nightstand. She smiled ruefully. "That's because I _haven't_ been myself for a while now."

"Well, do you need to see your doctor?" he was getting more worried by the second.

Calleigh shook her head, lying it back comfortably where it had previously been. "I've already seen one," she said quietly.

This slightly frustrated Eric. Why hadn't she told him? And, more importantly, why did she go? "And?" he questioned. "Would you like to share what he had to say?"

There was a good three minutes where she said nothing and that, coupled with her slow breathing, made him assume she had fallen asleep. "_She_ said I'm pregnant."

The huge gasp he let out was his instinctual reaction. There were suddenly seemed like there were a million different things running through his head. _Pregnant, baby, those nights she was waking up to puke and I wasn't there, God I'm stupid, work, IAB, father…I'm going to be a father._

"Eric?"

Her small, timid voice brought him back to her. "Calleigh…I just – how?"

That didn't come out right. "What I meant was, I thought we were, you, know, covered." To his immense shock and displeasure he heard her sniffle. "Oh, Calleigh, don't think I'm upset. This is great. Honestly, it's just a bit of a…surprise, is all." He wrapped his arms around her tightly and hugged her even closer to his broad, bare chest.

"You're really not upset?" she snuffled. "You're not mad?"

Eric sighed. "Cal, how could you ever think that? You know I've always wanted kids."

Despite telling her this, he felt tears continue to roll down her cheeks and onto his skin. "I'm sorry; I know that. But this is still all my fault. All those pills I've had to take really got me stressed and I forgot to take, out of all of them, _that_ one a couple of times. And then my period started getting really irregular until one day I realized I had missed the general area it was supposed to start, so I went to the doctor, who sent me to a gynecologist, who told me I was pregnant."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

It was a question that had been nagging him through her entire story.

"I don't know. I guess I was…scared? That's not right, but it was just a natural reaction to maybe let you kind of figure it out on your own."

There was a silence. "Just for future reference, I'd rather you spare me a lot of worry and just tell me when you're pregnant. Or anything else like this, for that matter."

Calleigh gave a wet chuckle. "Point taken."

He couldn't resist letting his hand drift down her side and over her abdomen to feel the life within her that, of course, he couldn't really feel, but simply acknowledge it was there. "Baby thinks you should have told me sooner, too," he remarked with a grin.

Calleigh's heart melted, listening to him talk in that warm, velvety voice about their child. _Their_ child that they created _together_. "Well, now that you know, I think I'm ready for some sleep."

Eric laughed and reached across her to turn of the lamp. As they snuggled together, Eric murmured quietly, "I love you, Calleigh."

She sighed, trailing a small hand up and down his side. "I love you too, Eric. We both do."

That statement, Eric decided, couldn't have made him any happier. With the words floating in his head, he went to sleep with the multiple images of his child in seven and a half month's time.

Calleigh was nearly halfway through her second trimester when Eric started to notice some definite changes that weren't there two weeks ago. First off, her breasts were getting huge (much to Eric's hidden delight) and her belly had grown considerably as well. Calleigh insisted that she looked like she was in that 'in between stage,' where people couldn't tell if she was fat or if she was pregnant. Eric tried to explain to her that she looked nothing of the sort, and that even if there was a little extra it just made her that much more feminine and beautiful, but she wouldn't budge. In contrast to all of these self-image issues, however, her sex drive had jumped through the roof, and as much as Eric enjoyed it, she was wearing him out quite easily. However, their next appointment would be the appointment they found out the sex of the baby. And when they walked out of that appointment, Eric felt like he had been transported back to that evening when Calleigh told him she was pregnant in the first place.

When Calleigh was thirty-eight weeks pregnant, she went into full-out labor. Eric had no doubt he would forever remember the day he was awakened at three in the morning by a ferocious series of punches to his arm, ordering him to get out of bed. As quickly as he could he threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt before helping Calleigh into a comfortable yet modest pair of lounge pants and a too-small t-shirt of her own before grabbing all their bags and getting in the car. Her uneasily repressed groans of pain all the way to the hospital were some of the worst sounds he had ever had to endure; her pain was his pain.

He could not have found how literal that was until they were in the actual delivery process.

She had refused the epidural, insisting that everything she had read had convinced her that it was better for both her and the baby to not risk it and go natural. Now, not only were her piercing shrieks of pain cutting through his heart like a knife, her fingers were squeezing his so hard that he wouldn't be surprised if a couple of them were broken at this point. But today wasn't about him. It was about Calleigh, and the birth of their child.

Two hours later, the room was filled with cries. Calleigh's sobs of relief, exclamations of the sex they already knew and congratulations, and finally that horribly beautiful cry that would forever be embedded in his head as that of his daughter's, Maya Alejandra Delko. Calleigh had fallen in love with the name, and she insisted on giving a twist on Alexx, wanting more than anything that she be named after the woman that was practically her real mother.

Many months ago Eric thought he couldn't be happier than hearing Calleigh tell him he was going to be a father, then that he was going to be the father of a daughter. But now he realized that absolutely nothing compared to watching her hold Maya, who would forever connect them. And at that moment, he couldn't be more proud of the woman sitting in that white, sterile bed, her hair piled ridiculously on top of her head, face still flushed, holding their five-hour old daughter. And at that moment he also knew he would never have to find another.


	4. Can't Be Friends

So it's been a while, I know. But I'm back because frankly this whole Eric-Calleigh-friends crap downright pisses me off. So anyways I was listening to this song and I thought that the actual CSI Miami writers were listening to it as they wrote the episodes. Please review! They're getting few and far between.

_The way it felt no fakin' it  
Maybe we were movin' just a little too fast  
But what we've done we can't take it back_

Now I'm sitting here halfway crazy  
'Cause I know she still thinks about me too  
And it ain't no way in hell  
That I can be just friends with you

_And I wish we never did it  
And I wish we never loved it  
And I wish I never fell so deep in love with you and now it ain't no way we can be friends_

_-Can't Be Friends, Trey Songz_

Eric Delko plopped unceremoniously in the sinking couch that adorned to sparsely decorated break room. There were some simple photographs of landscape he had been accustomed to passing by every day since he could remember, a small LCD TV, and a couple of hastily tossed flowers in a small vase by the window. Sighing, he popped open a can of Coke and used his alone time to think.

Memmo was out, a free man. Granted, an illegally free man, but liberated nonetheless. More to keep his hands from breaking something than thirst itself, Eric took a sip of the fizzy drink and lay his head in his other hand. He couldn't get that little girl's face out of his brain. Her look of terror was so heartbreaking that despite her paternal blood, Eric couldn't do it. But oh, how he wanted to; had her tiny, terrified voice not reached his ears, Memmo would be lying in the morgue right now, as cold and lifeless as his countless victims.

However Memmo, it seemed, was just the tip of the iceberg in relation to the past couple of weeks. Eric couldn't deny the way his heart seemed to be in settled somewhere in his stomach these days. There was still the underlying issue of his father and the Russians that created family tension that was never there before. Of course there was also last week, when he was almost killed by an escaped prisoner. And then, of course, there was Calleigh. His girlfriend? His not-so-secret lover?

His friend?

But then Eric remembered what they really were according to her: family. In all honesty, the word family meant nothing to him at this point in his life. Many a month ago it might have, but now? And what killed him more than anything was that she _knew_ that. She _knew_ what he was going through, and she still 'loves him like family'.

Eric chugged another swallow and slammed the aluminum can on the side table just as the door swung open. Eric ignored his intruder and glued his eyes to the breaking news of the TV to let them know he was not to be disturbed. His mind was too far off to care who it was.

"Hey."

Eric closed his eyes as he thought of the irony. Of all people, Calleigh would walk in during the middle of his internal rant about her. Mustering up all of the false optimism he could, he mumbled the greeting back, glancing over his shoulder at her.

Calleigh didn't reply but continued to rummage through the fridge, finally extracting a bottle of water. As she approached him he could hear the tell-tale click-clack of her heels on the floor. _Those sexy, stupid four-inch heels_, he thought to himself. How many nights had he spent rubbing her feet because of those dumb shoes that she loved so much; not that he ever complained about them, but still. Eric smirked slightly to himself but it was gone in a flash. She sat down close to him gingerly so as not to spill, and Eric couldn't help but calculate her distance from him. Roughly eight inches, he would say, not too intimately close but not far away enough to be cold. They both pretended to watch the news for a few minutes until Calleigh broke the silence.

"Shift just about over?"

Eric nodded. "Finally. It's just been one of those days, you know?"

Calleigh rolled her lips together. "I heard what happened, Eric, about Memmo," she said. Eric just rotated the half-empty Coke can in his hands and waited for her to continue, sensing she wasn't finished. He heard Calleigh heave a shaky sight. "You know you can talk to me about it, right?"

"Oh, really?" he asked sarcastically. It was out before he could stop it. Being rude was not how he wanted to resolve things with Calleigh, even if they didn't turn out how he had always hoped.

He couldn't translate her reaction of tucking a stray bit of blond behind her ear. She was silent a moment more. "We're still friends, Eric."

"We're not friends Calleigh," Eric spat. The anger was rapidly boiling in his blood and his mouth was moving faster than his brain. "We can't be just friends. It doesn't work like that. Not for me, at least."

Calleigh bit her lip. "Can we talk about this at home?" she asked. The timbre in her voice almost brought Eric to his knees in apology for being the one to put it there. Without thinking he nodded, tossed the can in the trash, and led the way out the door. As he turned the key in the ignition there was no need for clarification on what 'home' was; her house. When they were living together, home had always been her house, even though they technically alternated homes. And as he pulled into her driveway he suddenly realized that he missed calling this place home.

Pushing that thought aside, he followed her through the front door and despite his pretenses, found himself falling into his old routine: kick off his shoes next to Calleigh's, toss his keys in the little basket on the entryway table next to Calleigh's, follow Calleigh. He studied her posture intently. Was it all too natural for her? She seemed relaxed enough – after all she was the one who invited him over. Still, she wasn't her usual self with him. She fumbled in the kitchen for some crackers and drinks as if he was some come-and-go guest. He watched her for a minute before his resolve broke.

"Calleigh, stop it," he commanded.

His intense tone must have overridden any protest she wanted to make. She put the crackers back in the pantry, and to his immense surprise, took him by the hand to lead him into the living room. The electricity shooting up his arm from his fingertips nearly made him shiver at its intensity. He ignored it, however, and as Calleigh pulled them onto the couch, he didn't really know what to say, so he waited for her to begin.

Keeping their hands clasped, Calleigh released a shaky breath, and to Eric's shock he realized that her eyes were tearing up.

"Calleigh , I – "

"Shh, Eric," she cut off, seemingly gathering her thoughts. "What you said, back at the lab…hurt, to say the least."

"Believe me, Calleigh, the feeling's entirely mutual," Eric responded quickly, letting go of her hand. He missed the contact immediately, but he was getting too angry to sit there and hold her hand like everything was okay when it really wasn't. "_Family_, Cal? And you think we're just friends?"

She cast her eyes downward and clasped her own hands together now. "I didn't know what to say, Eric. I don't even know what we are anymore." A lone tear trickled down her cheek, and it was all Eric could do not to wipe it away. Now, however, was not the time.

Eric paused, not quite knowing how to respond. "We can never be just friends again Calleigh," he murmured. Her tears had broken him, but he couldn't sugar coat anything anymore. No more dancing around the subject; she needed to hear what he felt, and now that he could do that without the possibility of losing her, he felt uninhibited to say what he needed. "I don't think I've ever, ever loved anything as much as you. Nothing. When you said you loved me like family in the locker room, it broke me. Because the way I love you, I doubt any family relation can be compared to it." He paused to gauge her reaction, and noticed that her tears were falling more freely now. "And before I leave here, I need to know what you really feel for me. I don't even know what's bullshit and what's real anymore. So spell it out for me Calleigh, because once I leave I'm not coming back."

His voice cracked ever so slightly at the end, because he knew it was true. He couldn't live his life thinking about whether she really wanted him or not. And now that he had blatantly asked her, he would finally get a straight answer.

Her response seemed to take forever. She just stared at her hands folded neatly in her lap, and she finally mumbled the worst words in the English language.

"I'm sorry."

Eric nodded as the information sunk in and he stood up, unable to think of words to say to her. He was two steps away from the couch before Calleigh realized where he was headed.

"Eric, no, wait!" she exclaimed, standing to her feet at once.

Eric couldn't look back. It would be much too painful to see her beautiful, tear-streaked face. "Calleigh…"

And before he knew it her body was in full contact with his, her mouth meshed together with his in a blur of lips and tongue. When he finally regained consciousness his arms wrapped fully around her waist and her elbows were equal with his neck, legs intertwined around his own waist. The whole situation was like something out of a dramatic movie, or a soap opera, the kiss along with it. It was probably the most passionate, cliché kiss he could ever remember sharing with anyone. And it was with her; with Calleigh.

Not his girlfriend.

Not his not-so-secret lover.

Not even his friend.

His future.


	5. What If I Kissed You?

_A/N: SO – Midterms are finally over and now I can go home and maybe (gasp) update some of those long-lost multi – chaps…starting with this one. It's not as forgotten as some of my others, but it really is the most fun and easiest at this point, as I have virtually no idea where to go with the others. Give me the best holiday present ever and review!_

_I don't own CSI Miami, so there. Also, I don't remember the exact dialogue or scenario, so go try and go with it._

_What if I kissed you right now, would it bring us any closer,  
Take the weight off of our shoulders  
Take me I'm yours  
And I don't really care who knows it  
Can we afford to be that open with all these emotions  
If we were a secret how long could you keep it  
Keep it to yourself, don't tell nobody else  
Nothin but mine, talkin bout mine, now you're all mine  
And you, you, you  
And you just be mine (just be mine)  
And you just be mine, all mine…_

_-What If I Kissed You, Drake_

Calleigh strode quietly into the recovery room where Heather Chapman was reclined in the warm hospital bed, balancing her newborn baby happily in her arms. Smiling softly at the touching scene, Calleigh took a seat beside Heather, who glanced up with a small grin.

"She's beautiful," Calleigh whispered so as not to wake the sleeping baby.

Again Heather smiled appreciatively. "Thank you," she replied, brushing the top of the infant's covered head. "For everything," she added, looking back at Calleigh and this time not breaking the eye contact.

Calleigh flashed her signature sunshine grin that could make anyone feel better, and patted Heather's hand that wasn't supporting the baby's head and instead resting lightly upon the tiny girl's stomach. "There's no need to thank me. I guess you could say it's part of my job."

Heather nodded and her eyes landed once more on her sleeping daughter. "I can't believe she almost didn't make it here," she commented quietly. "And to think it was all because of Jason…"

As Heather's voice faded with sadness, Calleigh truly, with all her heart, felt for the woman lying beaten and bruised both physically and mentally before her. She thought of the carjacking, how terrifying it must have been to know that that man could kill your baby in a single second, and her thoughts trailed to that man himself. She hadn't been doing much at all with the case at the lab, preferring to stay with Heather and gather as much information as she could from her. So when Eric had later told her that Heather's husband Jason Chapman had tinkered with the steering column, had set it all up for the baby to be killed, it made her undergo a deadly combination of emotions that she wasn't supposed to feel: sick, disgusted, sympathetic, broken-hearted, and so on. Usually Calleigh was the best of anyone at putting her emotions aside, set them in the back of her mind, and prepare for the worst, but something about this hit home. Maybe it was the fact that in all her years being a CSI, a case quite like this had never occurred in her career; maybe it was just the overall shock factor that someone would actually want to kill their unborn child.

Or maybe it was so many months with Eric, who had the utmost respect for a woman and wanted children more than anything at this point in his life. And Calleigh couldn't fault him for that; right now, that just wasn't what she wanted.

Bringing her thoughts back to Heather, Calleigh rubbed her hand soothingly over hers. "It's a good thing she has a strong woman for a mother."

Heather let out a humorless chuckle. "I think it was more of the good doctor's doing that saved my life rather than my own strength."

Calleigh cocked her head, still smiling. "See, I don't think so. The doctors were definitely part of delivering her at the right time, but I know you wanted her brought to this world, and to be there for her no matter what. You're a fighter – I haven't seen many women in similar situations hold on that long."

The new mother sighed heavily and stared down at her daughter. "You know, at first I wasn't sure how I would feel, you know, when she got here, but now I know… I can't live without her."

Calleigh grinned. "Well, if it's any comfort, I know you can do it."

Heather shifted in her seated position so as to get more comfortable. She raised her daughter slightly, who had just awoken, in Calleigh's direction. "Do you mind?"

Calleigh didn't hesitate, reaching to take the baby out of her mother's arms, supporting her head gently and rubbing soothing circles over her belly to calm her whimpering. Heather watched her intently with a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "You seem amazing with her."

The CSI smiled. The longer she held the little baby, the stronger an unfamiliar feeling grew within the pit of her stomach. "I thing babies are growing on me. Over time, I mean."

Heather nodded. "Just make sure you find a good man that will stick around when one comes along."

Calleigh's smile faltered slightly. "You know, the crazy thing is, I had one. And I ended it…"

"Why?"

As Calleigh turned over the simple question in her mind, she realized it had a simple answer. "Because of exactly _this_. He wanted kids and a family and at that point, I didn't."

"But you do now?" Heather pressed, not to be nosy, but she had an inkling that the beautiful, kind, CSI was having a serious change of mind.

Calleigh said nothing, and continued to shush the baby after a moment of silence.

It was then that Eric walked into the glass hallway to easily find Calleigh standing in a recovery room with a reclining Heather Chapman. When he had a better vantage point, Eric could feel his heart stop at the amazing sight before him, not five yards ahead. Calleigh and a baby, rocking gently from side to side on the spot, rubbing light circles over the baby girl's tummy, shushing her softly. Even at his distance, he could see a new light in her eyes, but her expression was one she wore when thinking about something serious.

Eric took a seat in the waiting area next to where he stood and watched Calleigh surreptitiously – he had volunteered to pick her up from the hospital at the first chance, hoping to encounter a situation such as this. They hadn't spoken outside of work in weeks, unless he counted that morning she called to inform him that the break room was out of coffee and would he please stop by the grocery store and pick up some more. Eric didn't count that. Not after what they used to be, but, _God_, how he wanted to be what they used to be. And as he observed Calleigh with that newborn baby, that desire was awakened on a whole new level that hadn't occurred since he and Calleigh were in their most serious stage, before the issue with Rebecca and the investigation of the team came up.

Before he lied to her _again_, when she had trusted him with everything she had, and talk of the possibility of children in the near future came up at least one night a week. Now there was no future at all, much less a near future. It upset Eric that he did what he did for the state's attorney. What killed him more than anything, however, was that he was sure he had hurt her beyond second (technically third) chances, as she had made it clear that dating him would be a big chance in the first place. And now that Eric thought about it, she was right – he had broken her trust when they were in an intimate, more-than-friends relationship, and it was exactly what she had been afraid of.

Eric sighed dejectedly and used his thumb and index finger to rub his eyes, elbow resting on his knee. He looked back up just in time to drink in the sight of Calleigh still holding the baby before giving her back to Heather, then grabbing her purse and handing her a business card. Eric took the time to mull over things he could do to get Calleigh to talk to him about…everything. He could invite her to his house, but ruled that option out immediately – it would be far too intimate, given the situation. Dinner was always safe. Yes, a nice, casual dinner would be the perfect atmosphere was the best option. Now all he had to do was get her to agree.

Thirty-five minutes later found Eric and Calleigh sitting at a table at a steakhouse that semi-casual and loud enough for them to have a private conversation but still hear each other without raising their voices. When Eric had proposed having dinner together, she agreed. He said that they needed to "catch up." Calleigh hated that. When she ended things with Eric, it was just as she had feared nearly a year ago, that they would become distant and never speak to each other outside of work; it was not, however, what she had intended when she did break it off. She remembered the night vividly. They didn't really argue – they were past arguing. She told him she needed some time and space to think things through, about what had happened between them, and he had mutually approved. Whether he did in his heart, Calleigh didn't know, but all she _did_ know, however, was that that was one of the hardest nights of her life. She distinctly remembered his unusually expressionless face, not much emotion in his eyes, except maybe disappointment. Tonight was the first night since then that he had tried to make any kind of personal contact with her that wasn't work-related.

Eric watched her sip on her water (with two lemons) and wondered what she was thinking about. Her expression was pretty unreadable. He thought of how beautiful she looked, her blonde locks pulled into a low side ponytail, a few wisps framing her face; natural makeup complimented her blue-green eyes and full pink lips, which wrapped around her straw temporarily as he watched her. He thought of their first kiss outside the detention center, how at that moment life couldn't get any better, because he had Calleigh, and she wanted him almost as much as he wanted her. He thought of what it would be like to call her _his_ Calleigh still. More than anything, he wondered what would happen if he kissed her. Would she pull away, or let it go on? Would she respond? Was it even a rational decision to kiss Calleigh Duquesne in a crowded restaurant when they hadn't even had any personal contact in weeks? Probably not, but Eric had never really been one for rational decisions – mostly he went with his heart; maybe that was why he and Calleigh were so perfect for each other, they balanced each other perfectly. Right now his heart was telling him to kiss her. And, God, he really wanted to.

So he did.

There was one second when Calleigh was going to speak, her lips parted in preparation to say the words, when the next Eric's own lips were planted on hers. Immediately she forgot what she was going to say; it was probably insignificant and worthy of only small talk that wouldn't be getting them anywhere, so she responded by kissing him back. It wasn't a huge kiss, just a few simple press and slides, but it was enough to make Calleigh's heart stop and her head spin. It amazed Calleigh to realize that even after all these weeks apart, his kisses still left her knees weak. Her heart still belonged to him.

When they pulled back, their foreheads connected for a moment before they settled back into their seats. Calleigh's eyes fluttered open as she struggled to find her voice. "A-Are you going to kiss your way back into my life every time we get together?"

Eric was about to speak when their waiter returned with their food, which smelled delicious, but Eric pushed it to the side and slid his hands across the table to thread his fingers with hers. "Calleigh," he breathed. "I – "

Calleigh smiled and squeezed her fingers. "You _have_ to promise me, Eric, that if we do this again, it won't be like one of those kisses. You promised me a lot of things in that hospital room all those months ago, but you didn't live up in the end." She saw the pained expression on his face, and knew that he felt horrible. One thing about knowing someone for nearly ten years and dating them for one is you can read the other quite easily. "We'll have to start over, and I think you know why. But…please, Eric, I – I know if we work together, and take things slow for real this time, we can last. Because if what we've been doing happens again, I can't go back. This is it."

Eric licked his lips, not believing his luck. "I promise, Cal." He squeezed his own fingers over hers, and thanking God Almighty for his kissing abilities.


	6. Never Gonna Leave This Bed

A/N: Sorry about the long wait. I kind of gave up on this show and haven't updated many of my Miami stories because the episodes had been pretty uninspiring as far as E/C. I'm not really sure what episode this should correlate to because it's been so long since I've watched the show, but I would say definitely after 'I love you like family.' If they ever got back together season 10, though, this song sort of personifies how I think maybe it ought to happen. I love it. And reviews.

Warning: A little bit of this chapter borders on M, but I think it's safe (and have definitely read way smuttier T), so if you're the least bit offended by anything sexy, maybe skip this one.

…

_You push me, I don't have the strength to resist or control you  
So take me down, take me down  
You hurt me, but do I deserve this? You make me so nervous,  
Calm me down, calm me down  
Wake you up in the middle of the night to say I will never walk away again  
I'm never gonna leave this bed  
So come here and never leave this place, perfection of your face  
Slows me down, slows me down  
So fall down, I need you to trust me  
Go easy, don't rush me  
Help me out, why don't you help me out…  
Take it, take it all, take all that I have, take it, take it all  
Take all that I have. _

_-Never Gonna Leave This Bed, Maroon 5_

…

Eric Delko sighed as he slammed his car door closed, signifying the end of his long, overtime workday. Although his day had been no different than any other recently, today had felt decisively different, as if something worth remembering was today. He just couldn't put his finger on exactly what, and it was bugging him terribly. There wasn't anyone's birthday today, no drinks with the guys tonight, no soccer games for him to grace his presence with as Uncle Eric_; _he had checked his phone calendar for all occasions, and nothing. But there was _something_.

He shook his head to try and get the feeling out of his already hurting brain (apparently staring into microscopes for hours upon end isn't so good for the eyes and had ultimately blessed him with a delightful eyeball headache.) He turned on the radio and hoped it would help him either figure out what today was, or forget about it. Either one at this point was fine with him. As he entered the highway, all he could think about to get rid of the nagging feeling was getting home to his shower, his basketball game, and a big plate of his mother's famous _boliche_ and rice that he had stolen the other night from the family dinner. It had just been him and his parents that night, something he had grown almost fonder of over the huge family dinners with every member that lived in a thirty mile radius. Eric released a heavy sigh at the memory of the conversation he had had with his mother while his father Pavel tended to the latest grandchild they were watching for the night.

"You know, _mijo_, I made _boliche_ for a special someone. Someone who isn't here," she hinted heavily, pointing her fork to the empty seat next to Eric.

Eric knew exactly who she was talking about and had to suppress rolling his eyes. "Mami, don't start. She's probably never going to be here again, so if you're only letting me eat your food because you hope I'll bring her around, I might as well leave now." _Boliche_ was Calleigh's favorite dish of his mother's.

His mother flinched at his harsh words. "I'm sorry, Eric. I just thought you were still close enough she might come for dinner every now and then." She took a bite of the yellow rice and chewed thoughtfully. "Never again?"

Weeks ago his mother's question might have annoyed Eric to no end, but at this point he knew she just wanted for him to be happy; she knew that happy for him right now would be Calleigh. "Most likely, Mami. She's made it very clear how she feels about me now. We're just professional, platonic friends, or at least that's the way she's acting. We barely even speak outside of work now, and it's just…weird, I guess. I mean, we were _best friends_ for nearly ten years before we started dating, and now it's like everything we used to be is down the toilet." He sighed and stared down into his half-empty plate. "And I can't help but feel like most of it is my fault. I lied to her trying to find Sharova. She just never got over it."

"Eric, you can't blame the failure of your relationship with Calleigh entirely on you. She was the one who didn't want to take the time and emotional energy to build her trust for you back up again, which is saying something if you two were as close as you both say you were. That I _know_ you were, and probably, spiritually, still are."

Now that he thought about this side of everything, it made sense. It didn't justify what he did, going behind her back like that and lying to her face, but what he was going through at the time was a serious personal issue. And after they had talked about it, he wanted to make it work, and her response was so typically Calleigh that hindsight he should have seen the outcome as soon as the words had left her lips: "I need some time."

His mother placed a hand on his arm and smiled at him gently. "Whether you and Calleigh end up together romantically or not, I know you'll always be together at heart. You're too perfect for each other not to be, _mijo_."

Eric shook his head and took a bite of his roast, but he was suddenly not hungry anymore. The reminder of Calleigh and all of the memories that the dish brought to him suddenly overcame him, and he just took the leftovers when he left later on that night to be polite.

And suddenly, like that, he remembered.

Today was his and Calleigh's anniversary. The day that they had gone on their first official date, when they had discussed what their relationship would be and even the repercussions of it; how it wouldn't ruin their friendship. Oh, the irony.

Upon his new realizations, both of which were brought upon by the conversation with his mother, Eric sped past his exit and took the one that led to Bal Harbor and ultimately Calleigh's house. He hadn't been there in months, because it had made more economic sense for them to live at his condo, which was much closer to work. She had even considered selling her place and just moving in with him officially and permanently, but that plan obviously didn't work out.

It didn't miss his mind, however, that he still knew every twist and turn of her neighborhood by heart as he finally made it to her house. He turned off the car and leaned his head on the steering wheel, collecting his thoughts. It was nearly eleven o'clock and the cicadas were fiercely chirping through the thick and humid air. The whole environment might have been calming if it weren't for _her_ car sitting in the driveway, _her_ house he was sitting outside of, and the thought of _her_ lying down alone in bed.

It was now or never. Disregarding the time he got out of the car and shut the door on his insecurities about anything he might do beyond that point. He walked smartly up the walkway and knocked gently enough not to startle her and loud enough for her to hear down the hallway and into her room. After a few seconds he saw a light flip on in the living room, and then the porch light, and suddenly the living room light was shining onto him as well.

"Eric," she said, surprised.

Eric took her in, the way the light behind her made her golden hair illuminate even more, the tiny camisole and cute little Victoria's Secret pajama shorts that he had bought with her one day at the mall. No words left his lips, but his mouth was parted a bit as if they were about to.

The silence was broken by her. "Um, do you want to come in?"

Eric nodded. It was all he could do. There was so much he wanted to tell her; how sorry he was, not only for his part in their failed relationship but for their failed friendship as well; how she should have been more proactive in restoring their relationship and friendship as well. But he just couldn't right now. He just followed her retreating figure after closing and locking the door behind him, listening to her attempt at small talk.

"So did you work over again? You've been doing that an awful lot lately," she said, leading him to the living room.

_Only to take my mind off you_, he thought with a hint of bitterness, but only a bit. He still loved her, after all.

"That must be why you're here after eleven o'clock, right?" she kidded with a little smile, her back still to him as she shifted some books and magazines around on the coffee table into a neat pile, always the Southern hostess.

"Calleigh," he murmured softly. Stepping close to her, he could actually smell the familiar shampoo emanating from her drying hair. She must have been tired if she hadn't bothered to dry it for bed, and he almost felt guilty for dropping by so late.

She turned around to face him, and instantly their eyes connected, whisky to ocean. It only took a second of that beloved eye contact that he had always treasured between them before he leaned down and powerfully captured her lips with his. He swallowed her little gasp of surprise, at the same time cupping her neck over the thick strands of blonde he so often used to run his fingers through. To his delight, she kissed him back, her hands gripping the material of his work shirt. It didn't take long before he probed her soft lips with his tongue, desperate for a taste of her after months apart. She opened for him immediately and moaned quietly at the erotic feel of his tongue moving sensuously against hers.

She had always had a weakness for his skillful tongue. Right now it caressed the sides of her own, the sensitive inner part of her lips, even the roof of her mouth, and all without feeling sloppy and overly wet. He knew this because she used to tell him while they made love, or even one time at work when she was feeling particularly naughty. She had whispered into his ear one late evening while he was finishing a case report, "If you want, you and that incredible tongue of yours can join me in firearms in about five minutes. Horatio's making me do all this extra case work all by myself, and I've been feeling a little…lonely." At that she had tugged softly on his earlobe and kissed the spot right behind it, and then left.

The mere memory of that night was enough have him groaning and pulling her against him tighter, lifting her up effortlessly and guiding them down the familiar hall towards her bedroom with her legs around his waist and his hands under her thighs. Still devouring her mouth with his, he walked through the open threshold of her room and laid her down none too gently, climbing on top of her almost predatorily. He wasn't in the mood for soft and sweet and gentle, and if he knew her (which he took pride in knowing that he did), she wasn't either. She grabbed his collar and pulled his lips to hers again for a deep kiss before he tore his lips away from hers and promptly drew her thin cami over her head.

She didn't protest. In fact, she retaliated by gripping the sides of his shirt and pulling enough for the buttons to pop out and for him to shimmy out of it and toss it to the floor, followed shortly by his undershirt. Not long after that they were both completely naked, and he reached a hand down to check her wetness, which didn't take long to judge at all, as he could feel her heat with his hand still a couple inches away from her center. He couldn't help the surge of male pride and smug smirk as he looked at her, chest heaving and face flushed from arousal and summer heat. Covering her body with his, their eyes locked as he entered her, and though their pace started slow it became desperate and fast, each searching for release.

Through the hasty speed of their almost animalistic lovemaking, Eric realized it was still just that; lovemaking. Their eyes never left each others, and Eric was ecstatic to find the amount of love that was there months ago was still there in her eyes. It had never left. He dropped his forehead to hers and slowed down a bit, if only a little, to really connect with her after all this time. "I love you, Cal," he breathed, sucking on her top lip for a second and then kissing her hard.

When it broke, she fought through pleasure to mutter back, "I love you, Eric. I'm sorry."

He wasn't sure what the apology was for, but there would be time to talk later.

…

An hour later found Eric and Calleigh wrapped around one another, tangled between each others' limbs and the sheets under dim light. Calleigh had her face buried into his chest and her right arm wrapped around his back, while Eric held her to him and stroked her long hair lovingly. It was finally time to ask.

"What was the apology for, earlier?" he questioned quietly.

She drew a shaky breath and he couldn't help but draw her tighter to him. "For the way I've treated you these past months, like we were never as close as we were and only office buddies. I hate that I wasted so much time. I should have just talked to you instead of shutting you out." She stopped and looked up at him. "But Eric, you hurt me. You _lied_ to me, after everything we've been through."

Eric sighed. "I know, Cal. I apologized months ago and I'll do it a thousand more times. But you hurt me, too. You acted like I didn't exist outside of work, not to mention you never even called me once to talk about us. You just put up your walls again and shut me out like we had just met."

She cast down her eyes and played with the soft hairs on his brawny chest. He captured her chin with his fingers and lifted her face up to look him in the eyes, and the overall love and forgiveness she found there had her blinking back tears. "You have to trust me again, Cal. What I did back then was right for me but wrong for us. I wasn't thinking about our relationship, but just that I was in trouble and that I loved you and didn't want you to get hurt.

"What you've been doing these past few months has been about you. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's how I feel. I wanted us to get back together forever ago, but you shut me out. If we jump into this again, Cal, there can't be any walls. We'll work on the trust thing together; part…okay, _most_ of that was me."

Calleigh listened to him and smiled tearfully. "You're right. I'm so, so sorry, Eric." She reached up to kiss him gently for the first time that night.

Eric smiled, happy as could be. "Did I just get Calleigh Duquesne to admit that she was _wrong_?" he asked lightheartedly, tickling her side with long fingers.

She laughed and poked him in the chest. "Only this once. Never again, Delko, so enjoy it."

Calleigh snuggled back up to him and Eric wrapped his strong arms around her small frame. "Just out of curiosity, did you actually remember our anniversary, or was this just spur of the moment?" she asked.

Eric scoffed playfully. "Cal, name one time I forgot our anniversary."

"With pleasure," she countered, grinning. "Our very first. I woke up after you and expected to come downstairs to breakfast and flowers, but you were sitting there in boxers with a coffee just for you from Starbucks because you 'weren't sure if I wanted any.'"

Eric smacked his forehead with his palm. "Wow, that's right. I believe I remembered after you ignored me all day and I had to take us to some ridiculously expensive restaurant and buy you the biggest bunch of roses to make it up to you. But in my defense, I didn't expect you to be the type to want all of that stuff."

Calleigh giggled. "I'm really not, you know. All I wanted was breakfast and a few flowers. But you forgot, so I had to make you pay. Literally."

Eric laughed and wrapped his arms around her once more. "Seriously though, you know I'll never leave you again, right? Only when we're ninety years old and you get sick of me, take all of my money with your expensive anniversary gifts, and kick me out of the house."

Calleigh shook her head at his dry humor and giggled nonetheless, playing along for the moment even though the thought was ridiculous. She could never get sick of him. "Only when I have the last penny."

"Mmm," Eric mumbled, trailing breathy kisses from her forehead, across her cheek, the tip of her nose, and finally to her soft lips. "You can have it all."


End file.
